Food bank boosted by ‘goodnesses’

NEWPORT – Every Saturday morning a handful of dedicated volunteers at the Newport Food Bank pass out food to more than 100 area families.

The building is bursting with donations – canned goods, frozen meats, boxes of cereal piled to the ceiling – and this weekend people from the six communities served by the food bank will line up for Thanksgiving dinner baskets. The baskets are a bonus, in addition to their regular weekend food supply.

Built by volunteers on donated land, the Newport Food Bank – in its 13th year – is staffed and run by volunteers, and supplied through the generosity of the Greater Newport community. Each year, more than 100,000 pounds of food are presented free to those in need.

“It is one of those silent goodnesses,” said Jack Wilson, public works director for Newport. “They go about their work anonymously and save this community thousands of dollars while helping their neighbors.”

A quick look at the Thanksgiving basket illustrates the level of generosity: the turkeys were paid for by Cianbro Corp.; the squash was donated by John Burgess; potatoes were given by Seth Bradstreet; Rowe’s Apple Orchard brought in 100 bags of apples.

And the rest that goes in the basket, said Director Phil Brown, will come from the shelves of the food bank: string beans, corn, canned fruit, pie filling and crust mix, dried cranberries and cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy.

With an average of 17 percent of the population in the Sebasticook Valley area living below the federal poverty level, the biweekly visits to the food bank can be a lifeline.

“Some of these people would never eat this nutritiously if not for the food bank,” said Al Worden, a director. And yet, Worden says, many people, particularly senior citizens, who qualify for assistance are hesitant to ask. “They say ‘Give it to someone who needs it more than me,'” said Worden.

Even the criteria for using the food bank are waived to accommodate high-cost prescriptions or higher-than-normal oil and heating costs.

“A family of one can earn up to $815 a month and still qualify,” said Worden. “That is two times more than the towns’ general assistance criteria.”

Worden said the backbone of the food bank is its volunteers. “We have eight to 12 people passing out food each Saturday and a lot of those volunteers are 70 to 80 years old.”

Teenagers play a vital role as well, said Brown. “The Nokomis Key Club is really active with us,” he said. Every fall they glean squash, corn and potatoes, as well as having a Halloween food drive.

Funding for the bank comes from the participating communities – Newport, Palmyra, Plymouth, Etna, Dixmont and Exeter – and a variety of private sources. Their annual budget is $10,000.

“Bud’s Shop ‘n Save is number one on our list,” said Brown. “They donate thousands of dollars’ worth of items all year long.”

Bousseau’s Meats in Detroit is also part of the “Feed the Hungry” campaign and routinely solicits donations of deer and moose meat from customers. “They just passed on to us 250 pounds of mooseburger,” said Worden.

Monetary donations go much further than actual food, said Brown, since the food bank can purchase food for 16 cents a pound at the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Lewiston and Brewer.

“Just last week, I was walking into church and a man passed me a $200 check for the food bank,” said Brown. Another couple leaves a $100 check at the bank each summer as they visit from New Hampshire. As he was talking, Brown took $50 from his pocket and passed it to Worden – money donated by the employees of the local Unicel store.

The local Boy Scouts, Newport Elementary School and dozens of others are responsible for keeping the food bank shelves stocked.

“This is truly a community effort,” said Brown.